allen



G. T. ALLEN.

CONCRETE MIXER. APPLICATION FILED Aue.27. 191a.

- Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I- G T. ALLEN.

CONCRETE MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2?. 191a.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- G. T. ALLEN.

comm MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJI. 191B.

Patented Dec. 23,1919.

4 SHEETSSHE.ET s.

G. T. ALLEN.

CONCRETE MIXER. APPLICATION FILED AUGH'ZZ, I918.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- til tit

Gt-FORGE 'lE. ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, Fl. Y.

CONCRETE-MIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pa t gntl gdl mien, Q3 MMLW,

Application filed August t7, 191a. terial N0. career.

To all whom it'mag concern Be it known that 1, Gnoncn T. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing inthe borough of Manhattan, city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete-Mixers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to concrete mixers of the batch type and has for its object increased capacity, particularly in the loading or feeding operation, by shortening the length of the periods of tlme between the discharging of a loaded hopper into a mixing drum and the return of an empty hopper for refilling, so that thereby the laborers employed for refilling the loading hoppers may work substantially continuously without wasting time while waiting for an empty hopper to return after its discharge into the mixing chamber. Uther more general objects of my invention are strength, durability, simplicity of construction, inexpensiv'eness of manufacture and other objects and advantages which will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes various features of constructionand combinations of parts, and more particularly includes loading hoppers carried at the opposite ends of a chute-providing hopper beam which is mounted to rock so that as one of the hoppers is raised to be emptied the other hopper is lowered to be refilled.

1' shall now describe the concrete mixer embodying my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure l'is a transverse vertical section with parts in front elevation and with parts in the background omitted for clearness of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a reduced rear elevation with the loading hoppers in the folded position.

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation with one of the loading hoppers lowered to the filling position and the other raised to the discharge position, parts, including the discharge chute, being omitted. v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine with the loading hoppers at the horizontal posi-' tion appearing in Fig. 1 and with the mixing drum and other parts omitted.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on a plane indicated by the horizontal line 5-5 of Fig. 1 as viewed from above, and shows particularly the automatically acting swinging gates at the inner or discharge end of the feed chutes.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged size elevation of the rear part of the machine, partly in vertical section on planes indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 as viewed from the left.

What perhaps may be called the central or principal feature of the concrete mixer of my invention is the arrangement of a pair of oppositely arranged mutually counter-balancing loading hoppers 1 and 2 carried by the outer ends of a transversely extending hopper beam 3 provided in its upper part with feed chutes 4: and 5 into the outer ends of which the respectiveloading hoppers 1 and 2 open at their inner ends. At its upper side and inner end each of the loading hoppers 1 and 2 is connected to the upper side and projecting end of the hopper beam 3 by means of a pivot pin ti whereby the hoppers 1 and 2 may be folded upward and inward as clearly appears in Fig. 3, for thereby reducing the Width of the machine for more convenient traveling along the public highways and through gates, over bridges etc. and operative position the loading hoppers 1 and 2 abut against and rest upon the slightly projecting ends of the hopper beam 3, as appears in the drawings. lit will be noted that the feed chutes 4: and 5 form in ner extensions or continuations of the respective loading hoppers 1 and 2, and in fact excepting for the folding feature of the loading hoppers 1 and 2 these feed chutes could be made in one piece with the respective loading hoppers.

The hopper beam 3 is mounted for rocking movement and is shown as provided with arcuate tracks 7 which rest "upon trunnion rollers 8 mounted in bearings carried by the main frame 9 of the machine. in the construction shown in the drawings the arrangement is such that the axis upon which the hopper beam 3 is mounted to rock extends horizontally longitudinally of the machine and is located centrally midway between the inner spaced ends of the transversely alined feed chutes 4 and 5, as clearly appears in the drawings. The inner ends of the feed chutes a and 5 are provided respectively I In their extended 1 with automatically acting gravity-operated swinging gates 10 and 11 pivoted at the front edge of the feed chute, and arranged to have an overlapping relation as appears in Fig. 5, these gates 10 and 11 being for the purpose of directing. the material, descending through a feed chute from Whichever loading hopper may be elevated to the discharge position, to the rear and out through a short funnel-shaped spout 12 shown in Fig. 5.

The outlet spout 12 o ens centrally into the feed end of a cylin rical mixing drum 13 mounted to rotate upon a horizontal axis coincident with the axis upon which the hopper beam 3 is mounted to rock. The mixing drum 13 is thus rotatively supported by means of two pairs of trunnion rollers 14 upon which rest circular tracks 15 surrounding and carried by the mixing drum 13.

The mixing drum 13 is also provided with a large circular gear 16 which at its lowermost point, directly downward from the axis of rotation of the mixing drum 13, is engaged by a driving pinion 17 fixed upon a longitudinally extending drive shaft 18 mounted in bearings on the machine frame 9, and the axis of which is in the same vertical plane as are the axes of the rotating mixing drum 13, and the rocking hopper beam 3. The driving shaft 18 extends forward beneath the hopper beam 3 to the forward part of the main frame 9 where it is connected to a prime mover shown as a steam engine 19 to the crank shaft 20 of which tlie drive shaft 18 is shown as directly coupled.

The trunnion rollers 14 of each pair are fixed on a short longitudinally extending shaft 21 journaled in bearing brackets 22 mounted for transverse adjustment upon the machine frame 9 by means of bolts 23 passing through slots in the bearing brackets 22, as shown in the drawings. The oppositely disposedbearing brackets 22 are connected together by means of transversely extending screw-threaded tie-rods 24 provided with adjusting nuts as shown, and by means of which the connected bearing brackets, after the securing bolts 23 have been loosened, may be forcibly drawn toward each other and against the circular tracks 15- which ride upon the trunnions 14, whereby wear maybe taken up and the correct meshing of the large circular gear 16 with the driving pinion 17 preserved, and also the correct alinement of the mixingdrum 13 may thereby be maintained in reference to the axis of the tilting hopper beam 3 and feed spout 12 for the alined feed chutes 4 and 5, asv will be readily understood.

Means are provided for pulling downward upon one end of the hopper ,beam 3 for thereby raising the loaded hopper at the other end thereof to the discharge position while the empty loading hopper at the other end thereof is concurrently lowered to the filling position; first one end and then the other of the hopper beam 3 being thus pulled down alternately for concurrently raising a loaded hopper to be emptied and lowering an empty" hopper to be filled. Beneath the middle of the rocking hopper beam 3, the driving shaft 18 has a pair of spaced winding drums 25 and 26 loosely mounted thereon, and upon which cables 27 and 28 are respectively wound in the same direction and which are respectively connected to the opposite ends of the rocking hopper beam 3. The cable 27 passes over a pair of sheaves 29 mounted on the machine frame 9 and also passes over a corresponding number of sheaves 30 on the adjacent end of the rocking hopper beam 3, seen in Fig. 6 and appearing at the left in Fig. 1, and at the cable 27 is connected to the machine frame 9. Similarly the other cable 28 passes over a pair of sheaves 31 mounted on the frame 9 at the other side of the machine, then over a pair of sheaves 32 on the other end of the hopper beam 3 and has its outer end correspondingly anchor-ed to the adjacent side of the machine frame 9.

A shiftable clutch member 33 is splincd on the drive shaft 18 between the spaced winding drums 25 and 26, and is adapted to be frictionally engaged with either the one or the other of these winding drums for imparting cable-winding rotation to the drum with which it is engaged while permitting the cable to unwind from the other winding drum. The sliding clutch member 33 is adapted to be shifted manually into engage- -ment with either the one or the other of these winding drums by means of a forked operating member 34 pivoted on the machine frame 9 and connected by means of a link 35 with a handle lever 36 also pivoted 0n the machine frame 9. The drive shaft 18 of course rotates continuously during the op eration of the machine, and in the middle position of the clutch member '33, this shaft is disconnected from both of the winding drums 25 and 26, as appears in Fig. 6, but by moving the handle lever 36, the drive shaft 18 may be at will rotatively coupled to either the one or the other of the winding drums 25 or 26 as may be desired, whereby one of the loading hoppers 1 or 2 will be elevated to be emptied and the other empty hopper will be lowered for filling at the same time. These hoppers are brought to rest at any position desired merely by shifting the handle lever 36 to the middle or clutch-disconnecting position appearing in i utomatically acting water-supplying means are provided for assuring a sufficient supply of water to be mixed with. Qach batch menace of material discharged from one of the loading hoppers 1 or 2 into the mixing drum 13. Two similar but reversely arranged water tanks 37 and 38 are mounted respectively upon the inner ends of the feed chutes 4 and 5, so as to partake of the rocking movement imparted to the hopper beam 3. The water tanks 37 and 38 are mounted adjacent to each other and are adapted to be filled alternately through a flexible supply pipe 39 connected to a short ipe 40, the rear end of which opens into t e middle of a transverse delivery head 41, turned downward and open at both ends, and mounted to rock with the hopper beam 3 and water tanks 37 and 33, by means of a supporting member 42 fixed on the tops of the tanks 37 and 38, and to which the short pipe 40 and delivery head 41 are fixed, so that as the hopper beam 3 rocks to the one or the other of its inclined positions, the water flowing through the supply pipes 39 and 40 will always be directed by reason of the inclination of the transverse delivery head 41 into the lower of the two tanks 37 and 38,; as will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 3. Each of the water tanks 37 and 38 is provided with similar outlet conduits 43, opening into the upper part of the adjacent open end of the mixing chamber 13. Each of these water outlets 43 is provided with a valve 44 shown as located within the water tank and arranged to be automatically operated so that the valve 44 of the outwardly inclined and slightly lowered tank which is being filled will be maintained in the closed position, while at the same time the corresponding valve 44 of the raised tank will be held open for emptying the water in this tank through its outlet 43 into the mixing chamber 13 there to be mixed with the hatch of material which at the same time is discharged from the raised loading hopper through its feed chute into the mixing chamber 13.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings the means for thus automatically operating the out-let valve 44 is a swinging weight 45 carried like a pendulum by a rod 46 fixed upon a rock shaft 47 upon which is also fixed a bell-crank arm 48 connected by means of a link 49 with a valve .swing in the direction so as to close and maintain closed the water outlet valve 44 of this tank. 0n the other hand, when either of the water tanks is rocked in the opposite direction, corresponding to the raising of a loaded hopper at the same side of the machine, the valve-operating weight 45 will swing in the opposite direction and will open and hold open the corresponding outlet valve 44, so that the water contained 1n this tank may freely and quickly fiow out through the outlet conduit 43 into the mixing chamber 13, there to mingle with the discharged load of material from the raised loading hopper. Ubviously means other than the swinging weight arrangement illustrated in the drawings could be employed for similarly automatically operating the outlet valves 44. Each of the water tanks 37 and 38 preferably is equipped with a water gage tube 53 so that the quantity of water in the tank may be readily observed by the operator of the machine. lit is to be noted in this connection that the means for automatically supplying water to the mixing chamber 13 is operated by and combined with the mutually counter-balancing rocking loading hoppers 1 and 2 carried by the rocking hopper beam 3.

1n the above described construction illustrated in the drawings it is to be noted that the rotating mixing drum 13 is mounted upon the rear end of thernain supporting frame 9 the steam engine 19 and holler therefor are mounted upon the forward end of this frame 9,'while the rocking loading hoppers 1' and 2, and water supply tanks 37 and 38, together with the feed chutes 4 and 5, all carried by the rocking hopper beam 3, are intermediately mounted at the front of the rotating mixing drum 13, and at the rear of the engine 19, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

1n the construction illustrated in the drawings, the main supporting frame 9 is shown as provided with ground wheels 54 whereby the entire machine may be readily transported from place to place,'the loading hoppers 1 and 2 then being raised from the extended operating position appearing in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 to the folded position thereof shown in Fig. 2. These hoppers are adapted to be secured in this folded position by means of simple pivoted catches 55, as shown in Fig. 2. v

lit is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown in th drawings, and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

ll claim:

1. A, concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum mounted to rotate on an axis at an angle to the vertical, and a pair of loading hoppers mounted to rock on a common axis extending in the same direction as the axis of rotation of the mixing drum and connected together in mutually counterbalancing relation and adapted to discharge alternately into the mixing drum.

2. The'invention claimed in claim 1 in which the common axis upon which the loading hoppers rock is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the mixing drum.

3. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing'drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis, and apair of connected mutually counter-balancing loading hoppers mounted to rock on a common horizontal axis extending in the same direction as the axis of rotation of the mixing drum and of which the hoppers are adapted to discharge alternately into the mixing drum.

4. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis, and a pair of connected mutually counter-balancing loading hoppers mounted to rock on a horizontal axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the mixing drum and of which the hoppers are adapted to discharge alternately into the mixing drum.

5. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which both hoppers are adapted to discharge through the same opening, in combination with automatically acting means for directing the material from the one or the other of the raised hoppers into the mixing drum through said opening.

6. The invention claimed in claim 4 in which both hoppers are adapted to discharge through the same opening, in combination with automatically acting means for directing the material from the one or-the other of the raised hoppers into the mixing drum through said opening.

7. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis, a hopper beam having feed chutes formed in the opposite ends thereof and mounted to rock upon a horizontal axis coincident with the axis of the mixing drum, a loading hopper carried by the outer end of each feed chute and communicating therewith, and an automatically swin in gate at the inner end of each of the ee chutes for directing the material .from the raised hopper into' the mixing drum.

8. The invention claimed in claim 7 in combination with means for pulling down either the one or the other of the hoppers in order thereby to raise and discharge the other hopper.

9. The invention claimed in claim 3 in combination with means for pulling down an empty hopper in order thereby to raise and discharge a loaded hopper.

I 10. The invention claimed in claim '4: in combination with means for pulling down an empt hopper in order thereby to raise and disc arge a loaded hopper.

1 1. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis, a loading hopper for the mixing drum mounted to have rocklng movement on a horizontal axis extending in the same direction as the axis of rotation of the mixing drum, a water tank carried by the loading hopper and provided with an outlet into the mixing drum, and an automatically acting valve device in control of said outlet and arranged to open said outlet to permit the water from the tank to flow into the mixing drum when the loading hopper is raised to the discharge position and arranged to close said outlet when the loading hopper is lowered to the filling position for thereby permitting the refilling of the tank.

12. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum, a loading hopper therefor mounted to rock between a filling position and a discharge position, a water tank carried by the loading hopper and'having an outlet communicating with the mixing drum, and an automatically acting valve device in control of said outlet and arranged to open said outlet to permit the water from the tank to flow into the mixing drum in the raised discharge position of the loading hopper and arranged to close said outlet to provide for the refilling of the tank in the lowered filling position of the loading hopper.

13. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum, a pair of connected counter-balancing loading hoppers mounted to rock on an axis between the loading and discharge positions and of which the hoppers are adapted to discharge alternately into the mixing drum, a water tank mounted upon the discharge end of each loading hopper and having an outlet opening into the mixing drum, a valve in control of the outlet from each of said tanks, automatically actin means for alternately opening the out et valve of one tank and closing the outlet valve of the other tank, and automatically acting water supplying means for alternately filling the tanks while discontinuing the supply of water to the tank the outlet valve of which is open.

14. The invention claimed in claim 3 in combination with a water tank mounted upon the discharge end of each loading hopper and having an outlet opening into the mixing chamber, a valve for each said outlet, automatically acting means in control of said outlet valves and adapted alternately to open and close said outlet valves so that one tank may be emptied while one of the hoppers is at the dischar e position and concurrently the other tanjc may be filled while the other hopper is at the filling position, means for supplying water to said tanks, and automatically acting means in control of said water-supplying means for teen-roe alternately 'filling said tanks and cohcurrently discontinuing the supply of water to the filled tank which is in position for being emptied.

15. The invention claimed in claim 7 in combination with a water tank mounted upon the discharge end of each loading hoplit per and having an outlet opening into the mixing chamber, avalve for each saidoutlet, automatically actingmeans in control of said outlet valves and adapted'alternately to open and close said outlet valves so that one tank may be emptied while one of the hoppers is at the discharge position and concurrently discharge alternately into the feed end of the mixing drum, a loading hopper carried by each of the opposite ends ofthe hopper beam and 'opening respectively into the outer ends of the feed chutes, a driving shaft below the mixing drum and having its axis in the same vertical plane as the axis of the mixing drum and the axis of the rocking hopper beam, gearing connect ing thesaid driving shaft to the said mixing load hopper carried by the opposite and dr for rotating the latter from the forming, a cable connected to each end part of the hopper beam for pulling down that end of the hopper beam thereby to raise the of said hopper beam, winding means cartied by said driving shaft for winding in one of said cables while permitting the other cable to pay out, and manually controlled clutching winding means.

17. A concrete mixer having, in combination, a mixing drum, a rocklng hopper beam having feed chutes therein adapted to discharge alternately through their adjacent means in control of said inner ends into the mixing drum, and loading hoppers carried by the opposite ends of the hopper beam and communicating respectively with the outer ends of said teed chutes, said loading hoppers being adapted to fold inward upon said hopper beam and feed chutes carried thereby.

18. A concrete mixer having, in combination, an elongated supporting frame, a mixing drum rotatively mounted upon one end of said frame and being adapted to rotate on a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of said supporting frame, a prime mover mounted upon the other end of said supporting frame and connected to said mixing drum for rotating the latter, a hopper beam extending transversely of said frame between said prime mover and the feed end of said mixing drum and mounted to rock on a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of said supporting frame and having formed therein feed chutes adapted at their adjacent inner ends to discharge alternately into the feed end of said mixing drum, and a loading hopper carried by the outer end part of each end of said hopper beam and opening respectively into the outer ends of said feed chutes, each of said loading hoppers being pivotally mounted to fold upward and inward over and upon said hopper beam and the teed chutes provided therein.

In testimony whereof, l have xed my signature to this specification GEORGE T, a 11 ,1 

